MUNCIE, Ind. ? The Ball State women's basketball team got back on the winning track Tuesday night as the hot-shooting Cardinals downed Mid-American Conference West Division rival Toledo 76-49 at Worthen Arena. Five different players scored in double figures for the Cardinals who finished with more assists (20) than field goals for Toledo (19).
The victory improves the Cardinals to 11-14 overall on the season and 7-5 in MAC play. The Cardinals now sit just one game out of first place with four games remaining in the MAC-West Division after Eastern Michigan defeated Western Michigan this evening in Kalamazoo (67-61).
“We challenged our team before tonight's game and they definitely responded in a tremendous way,” acting head coach Lisa McDonald said. “We played team basketball tonight as everyone contributed up and down our lineup. This is the type of consistent effort that we are looking for each and every time out on the court.”
Ball State shot 55.2 percent (32-of-58) from the field and 31.6 percent (six-of-19) from three-point land. The Cardinals dished out 20 assists on 32 field goals in the victory and out-scored Toledo 44-18 in the paint. The Cardinal defense held Toledo to just 32.8 percent (19-of-58) from the field and just 19 percent (four-of-21) from long range. The Cardinals recorded 13 steals in the victory as they forced Toledo into 18 turnovers.
Junior guard Porchia Green (Indianapolis, Ind./Arlington) came just shy of a triple-double in the Cardinals' 27-point victory. Green scored a game-high 17 points, grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds and dished out a game-high eight assists. She connected on seven-of-10 from the field and also recorded a game-high four steals in the all-around stellar effort.
Senior forward Lisa Rusche (Cincinnati, Ohio/Oak Hills) turned in a strong performance off of the bench as she scored 14 points and recorded a season-high three blocked shots in just 20 minutes of action. She connected on seven-of-eight from the field, including a perfect six-of-six in the second half.
The Cardinals came out of the gate quickly as they stormed out to a 14-4 lead just five minutes into the game to force Toledo into a timeout. Senior forward Julie DeMuth (Merrillville, Ind./Merrillville) sparked the early run with two quick baskets while freshman forward Emily Maggert (Paris, Ill./Paris) also scored four points in the spurt as the Cardinals dominated play down low.
Toledo (10-14, 3-9 MAC) started to settle in and pulled within six points at 19-14 over the next six minutes. Ball State grabbed the momentum back though with an 8-2 run to force the second timeout of the half for Toledo. The Cardinals turned their defense into offense in the run as sophomore guard Audrey McDonald (Kokomo, Ind./Kokomo) nailed a three-pointer in transition and Green added a fast break basket to cap the run.
The Rockets kept things close and were within six points at 31-25 with just over two minutes left in the half. Ball State again had an answer for the Rockets as it closed the half on a 10-2 run to take a 41-27 lead into the break. Green sparked the run with five straight points and junior guard Kiley Jarrett (Bloomington, Ind./North) nailed a three-pointer from the wing to send the crowd into a frenzy.
Ball State shot 58.6 percent (17-of-29) from the field in the opening frame and hit four-of-10 (40%) from three-point land. Green was the catalyst in the first half as she scored 13 points, while shooting six-of-seven from the field. The Cardinals had 14 assists and 10 steals in the opening frame on their way to a 14-point halftime lead.
Toledo shot just 39.3 percent (11-of-28) from the field in the first half and committed 11 turnovers. The Rockets went just two-of-10 (20%) from three-point land in the half as they only had five assists.
Ball State came out of the break and extended its lead to 56-35 nine minutes into the game as it ran off a 16-5 run to force another Toledo timeout. DeMuth sparked the run with six points in the spurt, including the first four points of the run. Jarrett pushed the pedal down on the attack as she nailed consecutive three-pointers.
The Cardinals ended any doubt with a 12-2 run later in the half as they took a 70-41 lead. Rusche got things going in the run with six points as the Cardinals got out in transition and beat the Rockets down the court. Ball State scored 22 points in the paint in both the first half and the second half as it dominated play down low.
Jarrett finished the game with 13 points as she was five-of-nine from the field, including three three-pointers. She also dished out five assists and grabbed five rebounds in the victory.
Maggert scored 10 points in her second straight start and third career start. She also grabbed eight rebounds as the Cardinals out-rebounded Toledo by a 40-28 margin. DeMuth also added 10 points on five-of-seven shooting from the field in just 17 minutes of action.
Toledo was led by Tamesha Scotton as she scored 14 points and was the only Rocket in double figures. Scotton finished the game just five-of-14 from the field as the Cardinals' defense stepped up its pressure. Olivia Terry added seven points as she was just three-of-10 shooting from the field.
The Cardinals will be back in action on Saturday afternoon as they travel to Eastern Michigan for a pivotal MAC-West Division battle. Game time is set for 2 p.m. at the Convocation Center.
####
